Energy management system
First Claim
1. A programmable control system, comprising:
- a plurality of inputs for connecting to sensors;
a plurality of outputs for connecting to actuators capable of manual override and providing status feedback signals to the control system;
means, operable in a learn mode and responsive to the status feedback signals, for learning associations between the inputs and the outputs and recording the associations in a memory in response to a human operator selecting one of the inputs and manually toggling selected ones of the actuators between first and second positions; and
means, operable in a run mode, for commanding the selected ones of the actuators to one of the first and second positions in response to a change in state of an external sensor connected to the one of the inputs, whereby the human operator has programmed an output response to input activity by manual manipulation of the connected sensors and actuators.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A programmable control system includes a control module having one or more inputs to which an external sensor device may be connected, and one or more outputs to which an external actuator device capable of manual override and providing a status feedback signal may be connected. One or more signal inputting devices are provided which a human operator can utilize to enter a learn mode. A display can be used to indicate a mode of the control system, and a memory can be used to store the characteristics of an external sensor device connected to an input and an association between inputs and outputs. A controller/processor has both a learn mode and a run mode. The control module may interface with external actuator devices such as circuit breakers located in one or more panels via an intelligent control bus and an address module.
244 Citations
96 Claims
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1. A programmable control system, comprising:
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a plurality of inputs for connecting to sensors;
a plurality of outputs for connecting to actuators capable of manual override and providing status feedback signals to the control system;
means, operable in a learn mode and responsive to the status feedback signals, for learning associations between the inputs and the outputs and recording the associations in a memory in response to a human operator selecting one of the inputs and manually toggling selected ones of the actuators between first and second positions; and
means, operable in a run mode, for commanding the selected ones of the actuators to one of the first and second positions in response to a change in state of an external sensor connected to the one of the inputs, whereby the human operator has programmed an output response to input activity by manual manipulation of the connected sensors and actuators. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of programming a control system including a plurality of inputs and outputs, the inputs being connected to sensors, the outputs being connected to actuators capable of manual override and providing status feedback signals to the control system, the control system including a memory for recording associations between the inputs and the outputs, the method comprising:
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switching the control system to a learn mode;
selecting one of the inputs; and
manually toggling selected ones of the actuators between first and second positions. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. A method of operating a programmable control system, comprising:
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connecting a plurality of inputs to sensors;
connecting a plurality of inputs to actuators capable of manual override;
providing status feedback signals from said external actuators to the control system;
in a learn mode, responsive to the status feedback signals, learning associations between the inputs and the outputs and recording the associations in a memory in response to a human operator selecting one of the inputs and manually toggling selected ones of the actuators between first and second positions; and
in a run mode, commanding the selected ones of the actuators to one of the first and second positions in response to a change in state of an external sensor connected to the one of the inputs, whereby the human operator has programmed an output response to input activity by manual manipulation of the connected sensors and actuators. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A control bus for an electrical panelboard, said control bus comprising:
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a housing;
a plurality of connectors arranged on said housing such that a connector is adjacent to each of a plurality of actuator device locations, whereby the control bus is capable of coupling to one or more actuator devices occupying one or more of said plurality of actuator locations;
a controller circuit capable of accepting a control signal from an external device, which control signal is used to command an operating position of one or more actuator devices occupying said one or more actuator device locations; and
a drive circuit capable of causing said one or more actuator devices to actuate between at least two operating positions in response to said control signal. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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- 26. A circuit breaker device having a load terminal, and an internal impedance connected between the load terminal and an external detection circuit, which internal impedance provides both isolation and level reduction.
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31. A circuit breaker device with an internal wire-jumper identification circuit, in which at least the following conditions are encoded:
- 1-pole, 2-pole, 3-pole, device not present.
- View Dependent Claims (32, 61)
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33. A control module comprising:
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a housing;
a processor in said housing capable of accepting and interpreting one or more externally originating control signals provided directly from at least one of a sensor and a control device;
said processor being further capable of providing actuator control signals for one or more actuator devices located external to said housing;
said processor being further capable of interpreting said externally originating control signals for use in developing said actuator control signals for one or more actuator devices;
a memory disposed within said housing wherein mapping of said externally originating control signals to one or more actuator devices is stored, said processor being capable of acquiring said mapping information and loading said mapping information into said memory; and
an informational display mounted to said housing, on which a plurality of statuses of at least one of said control signals, said actuators, and said controller are displayed. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 95)
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62. An address selection module for use in an energy management system, the energy management system including at least one control bus mounted in at least one panelboard and a plurality of circuit breakers mounted to the control bus, the address selection module comprising:
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a switch for setting at least a port of an address of the control bus;
a first connector for receiving power and communication signals from an external source; and
a second connector for detachably connecting the address selection module to the control bus such that the address selection module is separable and removable from the control bus, the second connector transferring the address set by the switch to the control bus. - View Dependent Claims (63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. An addressing arrangement for use in an energy management system, the energy management system including first and second control busses and a plurality of circuit breakers mounted to the control busses, the addressing arrangement comprising:
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an address selection module removably connected to the first control bus, the address selection module including a switch for assigning a first address to the first control bus, the address selection module including a connector for detachably connecting the address selection module to the first control bus and transferring the first address set by the switch to the first control bus; and
a wire harness extending from the address selection module to the second control bus so as to assign a second address to the second control bus. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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76. An energy management system comprising:
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a control bus mountable to an electrical panelboard, said control bus comprising;
a housing;
a plurality of connectors arranged on said housing such that a connector is adjacent to each of a plurality of actuator device locations, whereby the control bus is capable of coupling to one or more actuator devices occupying one or more of said plurality of actuator locations;
a controller circuit capable of accepting a control signal from an external device,which control signal is used to command an operating position of one or more actuator devices occupying said one or more actuator device locations; and
a drive circuit capable of causing said one or more actuator devices to actuate between at least two operating positions in response to said control signal; and
a control module mountable to said control bus, said control module comprising;
a housing;
a processor in said housing capable of accepting and interpreting one or more externally originating control signals provided from at least one of a sensor and a control device;
said processor being further capable of providing actuator control signals for said actuator devices;
said processor being further capable of interpreting said externally originating control signals for use in developing said actuator control signals for one or more actuator devices;
a memory disposed within said housing wherein mapping of said externally originating control signals to one or more actuator devices is stored, said processor being capable of acquiring said mapping information and loading said mapping information into said memory; and
an informational display mounted to said housing, on which a plurality of statuses of at least one of said control signals, said actuators, and said controller are displayed. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85)
a power supply housing dimensioned such that said power supply housing can be inserted into a location in said control bus configured to be occupied by a circuit breaker;
a connector on said power supply housing for connecting to AC power; and
a circuit within said power supply housing providing a regulated source of DC electrical power to output terminals, converted from said AC power in a range of voltage from at least 120 Vac to 277 Vac and a frequency range from at least 50 to 60 cycles per second.
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79. The energy management system of claim 76, including an address selection module mountable to said control bus, the address selection module comprising:
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a switch for setting at least a port of an address of the control bus;
a first connector for receiving power and communication signals from an external source; and
a second connector for detachably connecting the address selection module to the control bus such that the address selection module is separable and removable from the control bus, the second connector transferring the address set by the switch to the control bus.
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80. The energy management system of claim 78, including at least one circuit breaker device mountable to said control bus and having a load terminal and an external connector, and an internal impedance connected between the load terminal and said external connector, which internal impedance provides both isolation and level reduction, said at least one circuit breaker device comprising at least one of said actuator devices.
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81. The energy management system of claim 79, including at least one circuit breaker device mountable to said control bus and having a load terminal and an external connector, and an internal impedance connected between the load terminal and said external connector, which internal impedance provides both isolation and level reduction;
- said at least one circuit breaker device comprising at least one of said actuator devices.
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82. The energy management system of claim 79, said address module further including a third connector for detachably connecting the address selection module to the control bus, the third connector transferring the power and communication signals to the control bus.
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83. The energy management system of claim 82, said address module further including a fourth connector for connecting the address selection module to a wire harness extending from another control bus.
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84. The energy management system of claim 78, including an address selection module mountable to said control bus, the address selection module comprising:
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a switch for setting at least a port of an address of the control bus;
a first connector for receiving power and communication signals from an external source; and
a second connector for detachably connecting the address selection module to the control bus such that the address selection module is separable and removable from the control bus, the second connector transferring the address set by the switch to the control bus.
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85. The energy management system of claim 84, including at least one circuit breaker device mountable to said control bus and having a load terminal and an external connector, and an internal impedance connected between the load terminal and said external connector, which internal impedance provides both isolation and level reduction;
- said at least one circuit breaker device comprising at least one of said actuator devices.
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86. An energy management system comprising:
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a control bus mounted to an electrical panelboard, said control bus comprising;
a housing;
a plurality of connectors arranged on said housing such that a connector is adjacent to each of a plurality of actuator device locations, whereby the control bus is capable of coupling to one or more actuator devices occupying one or more of said plurality of actuator locations;
a controller circuit capable of accepting a control signal from an external device, which control signal is used to command an operating position of one or more actuator devices occupying said one or more actuator devices locations; and
a drive circuit capable of causing said one or more actuator devices to actuate between at least two operating positions in response to said control signal; and
at least one circuit breaker device mountable control bus and having a load terminal and an external connector and an internal impedance connected between the load and said external connector, which internal impedance provides both isolation and level reduction;
said at least one circuit breaker comprising at least one of said attenuator devices.- View Dependent Claims (87)
a housing dimensioned such that it can be inserted into one of said actuator device locations;
a connector on said housing for connecting to AC power; and
a circuit within said housing providing a regulated source of DC electrical power to output terminals, converted from said AC power, in which said conversion circuitry is adaptive to a range of voltage from at least 120 Vac to 277 Vac and the adaptive frequency range is adaptive from at least 50 to 60 cycles per second.
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88. An energy management system comprising:
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a control bus mountable to an electrical panelboard, said control bus comprising;
a housing;
a plurality of connectors arranged on said housing such that a connector is adjacent to each of a plurality of actuator device locations, whereby the control bus is capable of coupling to one or more actuator devices occupying one or more of said plurality of actuator locations;
a controller circuit capable of accepting a control signal from an external device, which control signal is used to command an operating position of one or more actuator devices occupying said one or more actuator devices locations; and
a drive circuit capable of causing said one or more actuator devices to actuate between at least two operating positions in response to said control signal; and
an address selection module comprising;
a switch for setting at least a port of an address of the control bus;
a first connector for receiving power and communication signals from an external source; and
a second connector for detachably connecting the address selection module to the control bus such that the address selection module is separable and removable from the control bus, the second connector transferring the address set by the switch to the control bus. - View Dependent Claims (89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94)
a housing dimensioned such that said housing can be inserted into one of said actuator device locations;
a connector on said housing for connecting to AC power; and
a circuit within said housing providing a regulated source of DC electrical power to output terminals, converted from said AC power in a range of voltage from at least 120 Vac to 277 Vac and a frequency range from at least 50 to 60 cycles per second.
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94. The system of claim 90, and further including a power supply comprising:
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a housing dimensioned such that said housing can be inserted into one of said actuator device locations;
a connector on said housing for connecting to AC power; and
a circuit within said housing providing a regulated source of DC electrical power to output terminals, converted from said AC power in a range of voltage from at least 120 Vac to 277 Vac and a frequency range from at least 50 to 60 cycles per second.
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96. A power supply, mountable within an electrical panelboard with a plurality of circuit breaker locations, comprising:
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a housing dimensioned such that said housing can be inserted into a location in said panelboard configured to be occupied by a circuit breaker;
connector on said housing for connecting to AC power; and
a circuit within said housing providing a regulated source of DC electrical power to output terminals, converted from said AC power in a range of voltage from at least 120 Vac to 277 Vac and a frequency range from at least 50 to 60 cycles per second.
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Specification